Belal Muhammad, the newly crowned UFC welterweight champion, has set his sights on a potential bout with former champion Kamaru Usman for his first title defense.
Muhammad, who recently defeated Leon Edwards at UFC 304 to claim the championship, has expressed his eagerness to defend his title promptly, a contrast to many fighters who often take a hiatus after reaching the pinnacle.
Muhammad attended UFC Abu Dhabi this past weekend and, reflecting on his victory in Manchester, mentioned two possible contenders for his first defense.
“Any of them, right? Usman, obviously, I think for legacy,” Muhammad said.
“He’s one of the biggest names in the division; he’s under GSP, and I think he’s still got a treat in the tires, even though he lost the close fight to Leon and then the really close fight to Khamzat.”
Despite Usman’s recent losses, Muhammad acknowledges his name value and legacy in the division saying, “I think name value; he has the bigger name. But I also want to fight the boogeyman,”
“The boogeyman that everybody says can beat anybody is gonna walk through anybody… I knew after beating Leon; they would say, ‘Well, Shavkat will walk through him.’ He can’t do that to Shavkat!’ I’m just gonna keep doing it… Dana White, you have to give me the time and the date, and I’m ready to go.”
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